So what does this mean for those of us who want to buy an iPhone 5? Well, obviously if you are bound and determined to buy one, it means the difference between waiting in line, online or just waiting in general. The main question being "How long?" If the recent release of the ipad is any indication, the answer is "a very long time." This is especially true if Apple continues to struggle with the issues of the ipad release. If they don't solve some or all of these problems, the release of the iPhone 5 will be a disaster, a fiasco, again. What are these problems specifically? The main problem was a lack of supply. You can't build something this big up (and believe me, the release of the Iphone 5 will be a LOT bigger than ipad) and then simply not have the models available for people to buy! Examples are the phantom white models. Did the company make more than a few hundred or thousand of these? It seems, according to reports, that if you were further than 10th in line, you didn't get a chance to have a white one. At the same time, every color you add puts problems into the process. So they have my sympathies, but they have to decide to have or not to have... colors. The other option that makes life more complicated is networks. Each of these seemingly little changes makes a big headache for the company. Since they didn't make enough of a headache of it before the ipad release, it became the customers' headache(s) too. Will they make the same mistake for the Iphone 5 release? Or will they fix it so it doesn't become your headache? That answer and many others, remain to be seen. Hopefully they will sit down and talk or read this or any one of the other critiques out there and put a team on each of the issues. If they don't resolve these issues, everyone who wants to buy an Iphone 5, or almost everyone, will have a long day and possibly several long days and nights ahead of them.
So what if I were in charge of the release of the Iphone 5 and helping every person who wants to buy an Iphone 5 and is willing to do what it takes, gets one on opening day? Here's my opinion for what it's worth.
Why can't the company just take orders now and fill them on day X and give everybody exactly what they want delivered to their own home? Maybe that would be too easy? When they get the magic number of orders (which I would say will be as soon as they tell people where to sign up) with pre-payment or contract with the appropriate network and what colors and options they want on the phone. Options caused chaos to the ipad release and they will have to settle on a reasonable number of options (the old 32 GB vs.... 64? 128? etc.) colors, and then make the offer. Then people could pre-order to buy an iPhone 5 and pay or sign right now. They can have an idea on probably a million of the phones they will sell and this would actually probably help them to forecast what kind of demand there is going to be for the various colors, networks and technical specs. So maybe when the Iphone 5 is released and hits the streets there will be a huge rush on the grape-purple model (JUST a guess--please don't start a rumor about the grape-purple iPhone 5!!) and the company will just have to adjust on this. Or just get a few thousand purple cases for the black ones (which always seem to be in over-supply and no-one exactly would die for--oh well).
So will they learn from past mistakes for the upcoming release when thousands and thousands of people will buy an iPhone 5? Your guess is as good as mine.
So what if I were in charge of the release of the Iphone 5 and helping every person who wants to buy an Iphone 5 and is willing to do what it takes, gets one on opening day? Here's my opinion for what it's worth.
Why can't the company just take orders now and fill them on day X and give everybody exactly what they want delivered to their own home? Maybe that would be too easy? When they get the magic number of orders (which I would say will be as soon as they tell people where to sign up) with pre-payment or contract with the appropriate network and what colors and options they want on the phone. Options caused chaos to the ipad release and they will have to settle on a reasonable number of options (the old 32 GB vs.... 64? 128? etc.) colors, and then make the offer. Then people could pre-order to buy an iPhone 5 and pay or sign right now. They can have an idea on probably a million of the phones they will sell and this would actually probably help them to forecast what kind of demand there is going to be for the various colors, networks and technical specs. So maybe when the Iphone 5 is released and hits the streets there will be a huge rush on the grape-purple model (JUST a guess--please don't start a rumor about the grape-purple iPhone 5!!) and the company will just have to adjust on this. Or just get a few thousand purple cases for the black ones (which always seem to be in over-supply and no-one exactly would die for--oh well).
So will they learn from past mistakes for the upcoming release when thousands and thousands of people will buy an iPhone 5? Your guess is as good as mine.
